NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2412
SPONSOR: Gallagher TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring
restaurants and persons authorized to sell alcoholic beverages to have
tangible menus available upon request
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To ensure that restaurants and bars provide tangible menus to customers
upon request.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the general business law to create a new section,
396-uu, which provides that a restaurant or a business authorized to
serve alcoholic beverages must provide a tangible menu communicating
essential information about the beverages and food for sale if a custom-
er requests such a menu.
Section two is the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants, bars,
and other businesses have switched from using printed or laminated menus
to "QR codes" or websites accessible on smart phones. While the ability
to view a menu online has certain benefits, it renders the menu inacces-
sible to individuals who do not have a smart phone, whose smart phone is
low on battery or dead, who may be forced to pay fees to use data to
access such a menu online, or who are not proficient in using QR codes
or digital ordering platforms. Any customer should have the right to
request a tangible, legible copy of a menu that communicates essential
information about prices and products available.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A4024 (2023), ordered to third reading.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill is effective thirty days after it shall have become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2412
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GALLAGHER, FALL, BEEPHAN, SEAWRIGHT -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring
restaurants and persons authorized to sell alcoholic beverages to have
tangible menus available upon request
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
2 396-uu to read as follows:
3 § 396-uu. Tangible menus. Any restaurant or licensee possessing a
4 retail license for on-premises consumption subject to the provisions of
5 section one hundred six of the alcoholic beverage control law shall,
6 upon the request of a customer, make available a printed or tangible
7 menu communicating essential information about the beverages and food
8 available for sale by such restaurant or licensee. A tangible menu
9 shall include legible signage posted on a wall or in another conspicuous
10 location. Under no circumstances shall the only menu available be
11 accessible exclusively through digital or online means. For the purposes
12 of this section, the terms "restaurant" and "licensee" shall have the
13 same meaning as those terms are defined in section three of the alcohol-
14 ic beverage control law.
15 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
16 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00918-01-5
